Truck Stop Parking: Why Are Some People Just Stupid?

yea but he didn't. So what? Somebody has to be the better man.

Yeah, but is it being the better man by letting others walk all over you and disrespect you? Because that's exactly what that was. It wasn't an honest mistake. It wasn't an emergency. It was a complete lack of consideration on that driver's part. He knew exactly what he was doing and he didn't care.

In fact, he felt so entitled to do whatever he felt like doing that even when he broke the rules and created this situation he tried calling the cops on Guyjax who was given no choice but to park in the only place he could safely park. So this dude can do whatever he likes, even if it means breaking laws and inconveniencing others. But how dare anyone do anything that inconveniences him in return, right? You can't let those types get away with that kind of stuff because the more they get away with it the more obnoxious they become. I mean.....look how obnoxious he is already! Who the h*ll breaks the law and then calls the cops on someone else??? Seriously??? And you just want to walk away and let him get away with it?

Unfortunately the trucker stereotype of loud-mouthed, small-minded jerks is alive and well in 2014 - there's plenty of em out there. You're obviously not going to get any kind of respect, consideration, or camaraderie from those types and this driver was obviously one of em. I'm all about being kind, respectful, and getting along with people but you have to realize that not everyone feels that way. You have to deal appropriately with the person in front of you. Most of the time it's better to ignore people if you can and just walk away. In this case I think Guyjax did the right thing. This guy could have easily parked anywhere he wanted to but chose to be an inconsiderate jerk to other truckers no less. Imagine how he treats people he can't even relate to?

It seems you have assumed a whole lot about this guy. How can we know anything about what his motives were since he didn't even speak to him? We will just have to agree to disagree on this one. Two wrongs never make it right.

I'm not trying to argue about it. I'm just seeing it a little differently thats all. Keep up the great work Brett, I really appreciate it. I can't wait till I can get out there with you guys.

Larry B. Being the bigger man? Where else was I to park? In a spot that the signage clearly stated I was not to park in?

I know you don't understand why this could not have gone any differently. You will realize that soon enough. When drivers would rather cuss you than look at you, you learn to avoid certain types of people. Believe me I was giving the guy a break. I know me and how I react to certain people. I avoid conflict when I can and one way to do that is to avoid talking to certain people. I have a very low tolerance for the stupid. If I go up to someone, as was suggested and going by did he did without regard to other people, if he would have said the least disrespectful thing to me then I would have not reacted well. I was raise to show respect and give respect and if your are disrespectful just because you can be well you handle it the way you see fit. I am not a child and don't expect to be treated as one. I follow suit with treating other people the same as I want to be treated SO it's true I don't know what the guys attitude was like even though his actions to this point were of one that did not care about anything but what was going on in his life but rather than find out and have it go completely wrong I avoid him.

It takes two people to have a argument. If there is only one person there doing the talking... Well they're just crazy.

And for everyone that has not been out on the road yet. You will learn super fast that there are people out here on the road(meaning truck drivers) that want conflict and throw attitude at you just because they can. You can smile and wave at someone and they will tell you to f#@k off all because you desided to speak to them. Not everyone is like this but as everyone always says "Actions speak louder than words" and if your actions are disrespectful then there is a very go chance the words will be also.

It seems you have assumed a whole lot about this guy. How can we know anything about what his motives were since he didn't even speak to him?

If he was speeding through a school zone and hit a child would you say the same thing? Would you give him the benefit of the doubt or would you say he's a professional driver who should be capable of reading signs and following directions properly?

What if someone's disabled mother had to have assistance getting into a building because some trucker decided to park lengthwise across all of the handicapped parking spots? Would you say we should let him go because we didn't know his motives or would you assume he can read signs and find an appropriate place to park?

Remember....we're talking about professional drivers here. The standards they should be held to are way, way higher. If you're driving an 80,000 pound death machine surrounded by SUV's full of children I'm expecting you to be able to read signs and follow directions properly. I'm also expecting you to be considerate of others whether it's safety related or not.

And don't forget I drove for 15 years. I know truck drivers pretty well. Trust me....he didn't park there innocently or accidentally. There are plenty of guys out there who can't stand to follow rules and don't give a rat's *ss how anyone feels about anything. You'll see it every day of your life out there. This kind of stuff happens all the time. People park in the fuel islands, on the CAT scales , and on property with "No Truck" signs all the time. They tailgate people, pull out in front of traffic, and spout out the most unimaginably disgusting and vile garbage on the CB every chance they get. This is an everyday thing out there unfortunately. It's not the majority of people, but there's enough of em that it's quite common.

Two wrongs never make it right

I agree. But Guyjax was in the right. Where was he supposed to go? There's a very good reason they designate special parking for doubles and triples. They can't maneuver the same way a single trailer can.

Larry, I understand you're not trying to argue and you have a perfectly valid point. I've always tried to be as kind and respectful as I can be with everyone. I'm a small town, blue collar dude who was raised the right way. But I'm also a realist. And the reality is you can't just let people do whatever the heck they please all the time. Someone has to call them out when they're out of line and someone has to enforce the rules. Otherwise you have anarchy.

To make matters worse, the trucking industry draws an overwhelming number of Type A personalities. If you're going to make your way in this industry you have to have a thick skin and you must have the confidence to stand up for yourself at times. This guy didn't accidentally park there. He did it because he didn't care whether or not he inconvenienced anyone else. Well Guyjax just wanted to point out to this fella that it kinda sucks when you're on the receiving end of that kind of treatment.

Obviously the cops agreed he was in the wrong, and hopefully he learned his lesson!

Larry B. Being the bigger man? Where else was I to park? In a spot that the signage clearly stated I was not to park in?

I know you don't understand why this could not have gone any differently. You will realize that soon enough. When drivers would rather cuss you than look at you, you learn to avoid certain types of people. Believe me I was giving the guy a break. I know me and how I react to certain people. I avoid conflict when I can and one way to do that is to avoid talking to certain people. I have a very low tolerance for the stupid. If I go up to someone, as was suggested and going by did he did without regard to other people, if he would have said the least disrespectful thing to me then I would have not reacted well.

In that case then you probably did the right thing by not approaching him and I didn't mean to imply that you are a "little man" by my statement. It wasn't personal. I have a great deal of respect for you veteran drivers. It's obvious that one can't really understand what you drivers have to put up with until we are out there doing it everyday like yourself.

It seems you have assumed a whole lot about this guy. How can we know anything about what his motives were since he didn't even speak to him?

If he was speeding through a school zone and hit a child would you say the same thing? Would you give him the benefit of the doubt or would you say he's a professional driver who should be capable of reading signs and following directions properly?

What if someone's disabled mother had to have assistance getting into a building because some trucker decided to park lengthwise across all of the handicapped parking spots? Would you say we should let him go because we didn't know his motives or would you assume he can read signs and find an appropriate place to park?

Remember....we're talking about professional drivers here. The standards they should be held to are way, way higher. If you're driving an 80,000 pound death machine surrounded by SUV's full of children I'm expecting you to be able to read signs and follow directions properly. I'm also expecting you to be considerate of others whether it's safety related or not.

And don't forget I drove for 15 years. I know truck drivers pretty well. Trust me....he didn't park there innocently or accidentally. There are plenty of guys out there who can't stand to follow rules and don't give a rat's *ss how anyone feels about anything. You'll see it every day of your life out there. This kind of stuff happens all the time. People park in the fuel islands, on the CAT scales , and on property with "No Truck" signs all the time. They tailgate people, pull out in front of traffic, and spout out the most unimaginably disgusting and vile garbage on the CB every chance they get. This is an everyday thing out there unfortunately. It's not the majority of people, but there's enough of em that it's quite common.

Two wrongs never make it right

I agree. But Guyjax was in the right. Where was he supposed to go? There's a very good reason they designate special parking for doubles and triples. They can't maneuver the same way a single trailer can.

Larry, I understand you're not trying to argue and you have a perfectly valid point. I've always tried to be as kind and respectful as I can be with everyone. I'm a small town, blue collar dude who was raised the right way. But I'm also a realist. And the reality is you can't just let people do whatever the heck they please all the time. Someone has to call them out when they're out of line and someone has to enforce the rules. Otherwise you have anarchy.

To make matters worse, the trucking industry draws an overwhelming number of Type A personalities. If you're going to make your way in this industry you have to have a thick skin and you must have the confidence to stand up for yourself at times. This guy didn't accidentally park there. He did it because he didn't care whether or not he inconvenienced anyone else. Well Guyjax just wanted to point out to this fella that it kinda sucks when you're on the receiving end of that kind of treatment.

Understood.

I didn't fill out any info about myself in my "bio" but I am a police officer for 24 years (only 4 more to go, yes! :)) so I guess I might have been looking at the situation from that perspective. After further explanation from Guyjax, it appears that he did the right thing by just parking and walking away, otherwise the officer might have had to do more than write a parking ticket :)

And believe me as a type B personality in a primarily type A carreer, I understand very well what it means to have thick skin.

You're a cop, Larry? Well shheee-**. You know exactly the deal. Guyjax' scenario would be comparable to you accosting another officer while he was clearly violating laws or protocol that are taught to the rookiest rookies, like deliberately neglecting to read an obvious suspect his Miranda Rights or some ignorant move like tampering with evidence that would give a judge no choice but to let the bad guys off and back on the streets. You'd be ticked off enough that you'd certainly do something, whether it were reporting his tail or creatively giving him an "opportunity to learn" from his heinous omission of proper procedure.

-mountain girl

And believe me as a type B personality in a primarily type A carreer, I understand very well what it means to have thick skin.

Awesome! That will help tremendously. You've dealt with all kinds of people for 2 1/2 decades so you'll have a big advantage in that way. But the thing that's going to be a huge change is going from having the authority in all situations to never having any at all. Truckers are always at the bottom of the totem pole everywhere they go and everything they do. The only true authority a trucker has is refusing to drive when it isn't safe to do so for any reason - mechanical problems, weather, illness, etc. Other than that you're pretty much at the mercy of everyone you come across from cooks and waitresses to dock workers and DOT officers to load planners and dispatchers to dogs crossing the street.

But I can totally see from an officer's perspective why you would prefer Guyjax not do anything that might lead to a confrontation and to be open minded about people and their intentions. Makes perfect sense.

Somebody left the bag of idiots open

But the thing that's going to be a huge change is going from having the authority in all situations to never having any at all. Truckers are always at the bottom of the totem pole everywhere they go and everything they do. The only true authority a trucker has is refusing to drive when it isn't safe to do so for any reason - mechanical problems, weather, illness, etc.

-Brett

True that!

-mountain girl